Loose hopper for swinging conveyers.



No. 831,156. PATENTED SEPT. 18, 1906- s. B. HART.

LOOSE HOPPER FOR SWINGING UONVEYERS.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.16,1904.

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"UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

STACY B. HART, OF PEORIA, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO HART GRAIN WEIGHER (10.,OF PEORIA, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS- LOOSE HOPPER FORSWINGING CONVEYERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 18, 1906;

A plication filed December 16,1904. Serial No. 237,066.

To all whom, it may concern;

Be it known that I, STACY B. HART, a citizen of the United States,residing at Peoria, in the county of Peoria and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Loose Hoppers forSwinging Conveyors and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to loose ho pers for swinging conveyers', and isdesigne particularly for use in connection with grain-elevators andautomatic weigher devices, such as are commonly used onthreshing-machines Swinging conveyers of the usual type used inconnection with grain-elevators and automatic weigher devices have thehopper secured to and rotatable therewith. The rotation of the hopperwith the conveyer, however, necessitates the use of an unusually largehopper to receive the deposit of grain from the weigher-bucket in everyposition it may assume in consequence of its rotation with the conveyer.Furthermore, the conveyer must be pivoted a considerable dis tancefrom'the elevator device to allow free rotation of the hopper, and theweigherbucket must be supported a corresponding distance from theelevator, so as to deposit within the hopper. As is evident, thisconstruction does not make a compact and altogether satisfactoryarrangement.

The object of my invention is to provide a swinging conveyer with aloose hopper sup ported thereon and held from rotation with theconveyer, and, further, in consequence of this construction to pivot theconveyer and support the weigher-bucket closer to the ele vator, thusmaking a neater and more compact arrangement of the mechanism and partsthan could otherwise be obtained.

In the accompanying drawing, which illustrates my invention, there isshown a side elevation of a hopper and a portion of the conveyer bywhich it is supported and with which it communicates, also portions ofthe adjacent elevator-tube and weigher-bucket, the portion at the leftof the line a a being in vertical section.

1 of the drawing represents the exterior, and 2 the interior, of thehopper, the top 3 of which is substantially rectangular in shape andtapersto a circular portion 4 at the bottom, which said circular portionfits mto a circular opening in the fiat surface 5 of the .conveyer 6,while the annular flange 7 on the circular portion 4 of the hopper restsupon the said fiat surface 5 and supports the hopper on the saidconveyer.

The conveyer 6 is pivoted by means of the support 8, so that the axis ofrotation of the conveyer passes through the center of the opening in thefiat surface 5 and is also so pivoted that when the hopper is in placeon the conveyer one of the fiat sides of the upper portion 3 fits closeto the elevator-tube 9 and is connected thereto by means of the links11, (one on each side of the elevatortube 9,) pivotally connected to theelevator-tube, as at 10, and also pivotallyxconnected to the hopper, asat 12. This connection with the elevator-tube prevents the hopper fromrotating with the conveyer and secures an elastic or yielding verticalconnection.

13 represents a portion of the weigherbucket suspended above the hopper,and 14 the automatic gate controlling the flow of grain therefrom.

Having the hopper stationary, a much smaller hopper can be used and alsocan be placed very close to the elevator-tube, and consequently theweigher-bucket may be suspended very close to the elevator, making acompact structure.

The conveyer used with this hopper may be of any usual construction,either power or gravity conveyer, provided it is pivoted so as to allowrotation about the lower circular portion 4 of the hopper.

I am aware that swlnging conveyers are and have been used in connectionwith grain elevators and automatic weigher attachments; but they havethe disadvantages above stated, which my invention eliminates. I am alsoaware that grain-conveyers have been constructed rotatlng independentlyof their communicating hoppers; but I am not aware that a hopper hasbeen constructed supported by the conveyer and allowingindependent-rotation of the said conveyer and used in connection with agrain-elevator and automatic weigher attachment in accordance with theconstruction and for the purpose above specified.

Having thus fully described my invention,

what T claim,- and desire to secure Letters I Patent of the UnitedStates, is

1.- The combination with a grain-elevator and weigher device, of apivotally-mounted conveyer, a hop er loosely mounted on and supported byt e conveyor, and means to hold the hopper from rotating with theconveyer, substantially as specified;

"2; The combination with a grain-elevator and wei her device of aconveyor pivotally mounted on an under support, a hopper loosely mountedon and sup orted by the conveyer, and means to ho d the hopper fromrotating with, the conveyer, substantially as specified.

3. The combination of a' grain elevator and wei her device, of aconveyer pivotally mounte on an under support, a hopper looselysupported on and communicating with the conveyer, a flange adapted tosupport the hopper on the conveyer, and links pivotally connecting thehopper to the elevator, substantially as specified.

4. The combination with an elevator and automatic weigher attachment, ofa conlower portion of the hopper, bearing on the 3'0 rim of the saidopening in the conveyer, and

links connecting the said hopper to the ele-i vator; I Z 5; Thecombination with a swinging conveyer, of a stationary hopper supported35 thereby, provided with mechanism connected therewith to hold the saidhopper from turning with the swinging of the conveyor.

6. The combination, with a pivoted grainconveyer, of a non-rotatablehopper, a loose joint mechanism connectin said hopper with a suitablefixed object, su stantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have afiiXed-my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

STACY BQHART.

Witnesses:

J. E. DE VRIES, W. B. HILDE.

